Apparatus for packing asparagus



Jan. 11, 1949. I H. E. KELLY ETAL 2,458,858

APPARATUS FOR PACKING ASPARAGUS Filed May 28, 1945. 2 sheets-"sheet 1.IOWARD (E -L HAPPY Ahowmo INVENTORS BWM ATTORNEY Jan. 11, 1949. H. E.KELLY ET AL 8,

APPARATUS FOR PACKING ASPARAGUS Filed May 2a, 1945 I Y 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

N N How/ma E/(ELLY HARRY Aho WARD m i INVENTORS ATTORNEY Patented Jan.11, 1949 OFFICE.

. '2';458,85&

APPARATUSv FOB. PACKING ASPARAGUS Howard E. Kelly, Los Angeles Calif andHarry Howard, Seattle, Wash.

Application May 28, 1945, Serial No. 596,140:

Claims. 1

The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or forthe Government of the United States for governmental purposes withoutthe payment to us of any royalty thereon in accordance with theprovisions of the act of April 30, 1928 (Ch. 460 4.5 Stat. L. 467). y

This invention relates to an apparatus for packing asparagus in cans forcanning and has for its object a novel construction and arrangement ofparts, whereby whole asparagus stalks may be uniformly packed in cans,while at the same time protecting the product from bruisingv andbreakage which is so. likely to result from the usual hand packing.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate a preferredembodiment of our invention,

Figure 1 is a front elevation of the apparatus for packing asparagus andillustrating the aspar agus receiving openings. in horizontal positionand expanded to receive the whole asparagus stalks.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the same.

Figure 3 is a front elevation of the asparagus packing apparatusillustrating the asparagus receiving openings in horizontal position andcontracted to engage the asparagus stalks preparatory to their dischargeinto packing cans.

Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary view in front elevation. of theasparagus receiving element illustrated in Figs. 1 and 3, and

Figure 5 is an enlarged fragmentary transverse vertical sectional viewillustrating the asparagus receiving element in position above thepacking cans for delivery of the whole asparagus stalks into the packingcans.

Like numerals of reference indicate the same parts throughout theseveral figures, in which:

I indicates the asparagus packing apparatus which includes thestationary base 2 forming a horizontal support 3 for the packing-cantray 4' as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

The tray 4 is provided with annular recesses 52 to receive the asparaguspacking cans 5 as shown in Fig. 5.

Pivoted to the stationary base 2 at the rear thereof as at l is theasparagus receiving element 8. This element 8 includes two main rods 9-upon which are mounted the members ill, II and H! which form thehorizontal packing openings is as shown in Fig. 1.

The central one iii of these members is stationary on the main rods 9',while the upper and lower members H and i2 are slidable thereon. Mountedon the central member l0 between. each semicircular recess 14 thereinare a series of up- 2. wardly and downwardly extending pins l5 I 6, asbest shown in Figs. 1 and. 2, whilein each of the slidable members H andi2 and between each semicircular recess l1: therein are elongatedrecesses [8 into which said pins Hiand' It slidabl-y enter as shown indotted lines in Figs. 1 and 4-,. the purpose of thesepins I 5 and Hibeing to form partitions between the various. asparagus receivingopenings L3 to: confine the asparagus stalks in the openings 13 in whichthey are placed, as will be apparent from an inspection of Fig. l.

Pivoted on each side. of the central member id at is is a lever 20 (Fig.2) to. which is pivoted an upper link 21 and a lower link 22', on eachside. of the lever pivot l9. The. upper link 2! is pivoted to the uppermember II at 23 and the lower link 22 is pivoted to the lower member l2at 24, while the lever 20 is provided withan upstanding arm 25 on whichis mounted a horizontal operating bar 26 which connects together thelever and linkage mechanism which is arranged as just de scribed on eachside of. the apparatus. so. movement of the operatingbar 26 will actuatethe lever and linkage. mechanism on both sides of the apparatus. as willbe apparent from an. inspection of Figs. 1 and 2.

Each of the semicircular recesses it in the central member H], as wellas each of the semicircular recesses. IT in the upper and. lower membersII and 1211s preferably provided with a stainless steel liner 21, sothat when. the asparagus receiv ing openings are contracted as in Fig. 3and are brought into vertical position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2,.the liners 2''!- of the openings is are of substantially the same.diameters as the in teriors of the packingcans 6, asshown in Fig. 5.

It will be noted from Figs. 1' and 2 of the drawing that when theasparagus receiving element 8 is in position to havev the asparagusstalks therein discharged into the packing cans 6 as shown in dottedlines in Fig. 2, the main rods 9 of the said element rest on the frontframe 28- of the base 2 to. properly position the said element withrespect to the packing cans. 6 While the asparagus stalks are beingdischarged into. said packing cans.

Having thus described the several parts of the invention, its operationis as follows:

The asparagus receiving element ilis raised on its .pivots 1 intovertical. position shown in 1 and 2 so that the asparagus receivingopenings [3 lie in horizontal positions. The operating bar 26 is raisedwhich rocks the lever 2.9 upwardly into. position. shown in Fig.2. andcauses the links 2! and. ZZtosli-dethe upper member ll upwardly from thecentral member l0 and thelower mem 3 ber i2 downwardly from the centralmember It), thus expanding the asparagus receiving openings [3 intoposition shown in Fig. 1.

While in this position the whole asparagus stalks are placed in thereceiving openings l3 as for instance as shown in Fig. 1, and the stalksmay be thus inserted butt first as shown in the drawing, or tip first asmay be found to be most desirable.

When all of the receiving openings l3 have been sufiiciently filled withthe asparagus stalks to be packed, the operating bar 26 is depressed,which movement rocks the lever downwardly and causes the upper and lowermembers I l and I2 to be drawn into engagement with the central memberH) to contract the asparagus receiving openings is around and intoengagement with the asparagus stalks therein. The packing can tray 4with packing cans 6 therein having been positioned on the support 3 ofthe base 2, the asparagus receiving element 8 is swung down intoposition shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2 and in full lines in Fig. 5.When in this position the asparagus stalks are pushed, as by hand, fromthe receiving openings I3 down in the packing cans B, which operation isaccomplished without breaking or bruising the stalks and in such mannerthat a uniformity of packing is assured.

While we have shown and described what we consider to be a preferredform of our apparatus, it is apparent that changes and additions may bemade in the construction and arrangement of the parts, and we considerourselves clearly entitled to all such changes and modifications as fallwithin the limit and scope of the appended claims.

We claim:

1. An apparatus for packing asparagus stalks in cans, including a baseadapted to support a plurality of packing cans, an asparagus receivingelement pivoted to said base, said asparagus receiving element includingtwo guide rods and a central transverse member and two end transversemembers mounted on the guide rods, the two end transverse members beingsli-dable thereon toward and away from the central member, each of thesaid transverse members being provided with a pluralit of semicircularrecesses, the recesses in each member being complemental to those of itsadjacent transverse member, a plurality of partitioning rods in saidtransverse members disposed between the semicircular recesses therein toform partitions therebetween,

a lever and link mechanism connecting the transverse members togetherwhereby the two end transverse members are caused to slide on the guiderods to separate them from the central transverse member and to separatethe semicircular recesses of the end members from the complementalsemicircular recesses of the central transverse member to dispose saidrecesses in position to receive asparagus stalks upon movement of thelever and link mechanism in one direction, said lever and link mechanismacting to slide the two end transverse members toward the centertransverse member and bring the complemental semicircular recesses ofthe end semicircular recesses of theend members toward the complementalsemicircular recesses in the central transverse member to formsubstantially circular openings and engage and retain the asparagusstalks therein upon movement of the lever and link mechanism in theother direction, the said asparagus receiving element being adapted tobe swung on its pivot down on the said base to dispose the asparagusstalks therein over the acking cans on the base, whereby the asparagusstalks may be delivered into the packing cans.

2. An apparatus for packing asparagus stalks in cans which includes abase adapted to support a plurality of packing cans, an asparagusreceiving element pivoted to said base to swing from a horizontalposition over said base and packing cans thereon to a vertical position,said asparagus receiving element including a central transverse memberand two end transverse members, each transverse member being providedwith a plurality of semicircular recesses which are comiplemental to thesemicircular recesses in its adjacent transverse member so as to providea plurality of circular recesses in the asparagus receiving element, apair of guide rods for mounting the transverse members and to providesliding movement of the two end transverse members from and toward thecentral transverse member, a plurality of partitioning rods disposed insaid transverse members to form partitions between the semicircularrecesses therein, a lever and link mechanism for sliding the two endtransverse members on the said guide rods to separate them from thecentral transverse member and to separate the semicircular recessestherein from the semicircular recesses in the central transverse memberto provide a plurality of expanded recesses in the asparagus receivingelement when it is swung into a vertical position, said expandedrecesses being adapted to receive asparagus stalks, the said lever andlink mechanism being adapted to slide the two end transverse members onthe guide rods toward the central transverse member to contract theexpanded recesses around the asparagus stalks and to retain the sametherein so that when the asparagus receiving element is swung on itspivot into its horizontal position over the packing cans on the saidbase, the asparagus stalks in said recesses are disposed over the saidpacking cans and in position to be discharged into said packing cans.

3. An apparatus for packing asparagus stalks in cans, which includes abase adapted to support a plurality of packing cans, an asparagusreceiving element pivoted to said base to swing from a horizontalposition over said base and packing cans thereon to a vertical position,said asparagus receiving element including a central transverse memberand two end transverse members, each transverse member being providedwith a plurality of semicircular recesses which are complemental to thesemicircular recesses in its adjacent transverse member so as to providea plurality of circular recesses in the asparagus receiving element,means for mounting the transverse members to permit movement of the twoend transverse members from and toward the central transverse member,means providing partitions between the semicircular recesses of thetransverse members, means acting on the two end transverse members formoving the same to separate them from the central transverse member toexpand the recesses in the asparagus receiving element when it is in avertical position, said expanded recesses being adapted to receiveasparagus stalks, said means acting on the two end transverse membersbeing adapted to move the same toward the central transverse member tocontract the expanded recesses around the asparagus stalks and to retainthe same therein so that when the asparagus receiving element is swungon its pivot into its horizontal position, the asparagus stalks in saidrecesses are disposed over the said packing cans on said base and inposition to be discharged into said packing cans.

4. An apparatus for packing in containers asparagus stalks or articlesof like elongated form, which includes a base adapted to support aplurality of packing containers, a pivoted article receiving elementadapted to swing from a horizontal position over the packing containersto a vertical position, said article receiving element including acentral transverse member and two end transverse members, eachtransverse memher being provided with a plurality of semicircularrecesses which are complemental to the semicircular recesses in itsadjacent transverse member so as to provide a plurality of circularrecesses in the article receiving element, means for mounting thetransverse members to permit movement of the two end transverse membersfrom and toward the central transverse members, means acting on the twoend transverse members for moving the same to separate them from thecentral transverse member to expand the recesses in the articlereceiving element, said expanded recesses being adapted to receive thearticles to be packed, said means acting on the two end transversemembers being adapted to move the same toward the central transversemember to contract the expanded recesses around the articles and toretain the same therein 30 that when the article receiving element is inposition over the packing containers on the said base, the articles insaid recesses are in position to be discharged into said packingcontainers.

5. An apparatus for packing in containers asparagus stalks or articlesof like elongated form, which includes means for supporting a group ofpacking containers in fixed predetermined horizontal position, anarticle receiving member pivoted to swing from a vertical to ahorizontal position above the packing containers, said article receivinmember being provided with a group of circular recesses, each of whichis adapted to register with a packing container of the said group ofhorizontal supported packing containers when the receiving member is inhorizontal position above said group of packing containers,

and to contact the group of recesses around the means for expanding thesaid group of recesses when the article receiving member is in verticalposition to receive articles therein to be packed articles received, andto retain the same therein so that when the article receiving member isswung from its vertical position into its horizontal position above saidgroup of horizontally positioned containers, the articles in said groupof recesses are in position to be discharged into said group of packingcontainers.

HOWARD E. KELLY. HARRY A. HOWARD.

REFERENCES CITED UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Gruwell, Jr Feb. 1,1944 Number

